FIFA World Cup 2022: what number of migrant employees have died in Qatar?

Here is a have a look at migrant employees’ rights points in Qatar, which is internet hosting the 2022 World Cup from Nov. 20-Dec. 18:

WHAT IS QATAR’S RECORD ON MIGRANT WORKERS’ RIGHTS?

* Qatar, the place foreigners make up nearly all of the two.9 million inhabitants, has confronted intense criticism from human rights teams over its therapy of migrant employees.

* A 48-page report by Amnesty, Reality Check 2021, mentioned that practices comparable to withholding salaries and charging employees to alter jobs had been nonetheless rife, regardless of labour reforms in 2014.

* The authorities of Qatar mentioned its labour system was nonetheless a piece in progress however denied allegations within the report that 1000’s of migrant employees within the 2022 World Cup host nation had been being trapped and exploited.

HOW MANY MIGRANT WORKERS HAVE DIED IN QATAR?

* Britain’s Guardian reported final yr that at the very least 6,500 migrant employees — lots of them engaged on World Cup tasks — had died in Qatar because it received the suitable to stage the World Cup, based on the paper’s calculations from official information.

* In response, Qatar mentioned that the variety of deaths was proportionate to the dimensions of the migrant workforce, and included many non-manual employees, including that each life misplaced was a tragedy.

* Max Tunon, head of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Qatar workplace, cautioned that Qatar employee dying knowledge is incessantly reported with out mandatory nuance.

* “The (Guardian’s) number includes all deaths in the migrant population … without differentiation between migrant workers and the general migrant population, let alone fatalities that resulted from occupational injuries,” the ILO mentioned.

* Qatari World Cup organisers, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, mentioned that there have been three work-related fatalities and 37 non-work-related deaths amongst employees at World Cup 2022 websites.

* Hassan Al Thawadi, the secretary basic of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, mentioned in a TV interview with British journalist Piers Morgan that aired on Nov. 30 that the variety of migrant employee deaths at World Cup-related tasks was “between 400 and 500”.

* Qatar launched a piece security investigation into the dying of a Filipino, officers mentioned on Dec. 8, following studies that the person died whereas working at a coaching web site throughout the World Cup.

* The Philippines’ international ministry confirmed in a press release that certainly one of its nationals had died whereas working at a resort south of the capital Doha.

WHAT CHANGES HAS QATAR IMPLEMENTED TO ITS LABOUR LAWS?

* Qatar has modified its labour legal guidelines to dismantle a lot of its “kafala” sponsorship system, absolving employees of the necessity to get the permission of the employer who sponsored their visa so as to change jobs or depart the nation.

* It has additionally elevated the minimal wage by 25% to 1,000 Qatari riyals ($274.65) a month, and utilized it to all employees slightly than Qataris solely.

* Qatar has arrange an insurance coverage fund to assist migrants which have been cheated of their wages.

HOW HAVE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATIONS ADDRESSED THE ISSUE?

* The soccer associations of 10 European nations, together with England and Germany, wrote an open letter to FIFA forward of the World Cup calling on the world governing physique to take motion to enhance the rights of migrant employees in Qatar.

* A bunch of 11 European soccer associations met with FIFA earlier this month, saying that the governing physique had confirmed help for a everlasting ILO workplace in Doha that might help and advise migrant employees.

* In September, England’s FA mentioned households of migrant employees in Qatar who had been injured or killed whereas setting up the infrastructure for this yr’s World Cup ought to be compensated.

* The shirts worn by the Netherlands crew throughout the World Cup can be auctioned to help migrant employees in Qatar, the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) mentioned this month.

* The Netherlands crew mentioned they can even take time throughout their keep in Qatar to speak to migrants who helped construct the stadiums for the World Cup.

WHAT MEASURES HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED BY RIGHTS GROUPS?

* Amnesty and different rights teams have led requires FIFA to compensate migrant employees in Qatar for human rights abuses by setting apart $440 million, matching the World Cup prize cash.

* FIFA has mentioned it was assessing Amnesty’s proposition and implementing an “unprecedented due diligence process in relation to the protection of workers involved”.

* FIFA added that it was working with the organising committee and had already compensated a lot of employees.

* Amnesty has additionally outlined a 10-point motion plan, calling on Qatar to “address serious gaps and remaining weaknesses in its labour reform process”.